My due date was March 22, 2013. However, when I was 37 weeks
Dr. Parker did an internal exam and found that I was 60% effaced, she had
dropped to a -2 and I was 2 centimeters dilated. He said that I have a very
ripe cervix for being a first time mom. Lol. The next week I was 80% effaced,
-2, and dilated to a 2. Dr. Parker said that I could go into labor at any
moment because I’m so ripe. He stripped my membranes and said that he wouldn’t
be surprised if she came in the next 36 hours. Well, the weekend passed and no
Haleigh. I had contractions from 5 PM to 5 AM after he stripped my membranes
but they were not consistent. Over the next week I had contractions but they
weren’t consistent. Dr. Parker told me that if she didn’t come by the 15th
he would induce me if I wanted to. We decided to get induced because my dad
decided to take a job offer elsewhere which would cause my insurance to change.
So we got induced on Friday March 15, 2013 at 1 PM.
They started the Pitocin and my contractions were going
well. They also had to put me on some penicillin because I tested positive for
GBS. The penicillin was the only thing that hurt and it just burned and made my
vain ache. Whenever I had to go to the bathroom we had to unplug me from all of
the monitors and then I had to wheel my IV thing into the bathroom with me. It
was quite a task… and I had to do it like every 30 minutes. Lol. I was already
80% effaced, she had dropped to a -1, and I was dilated to a 2. Dr. Parker came
to break my water an hour into the labor. I wasn’t really in any pain but I
decided to get the epidural then. They said that contractions get more painful
after your water has broken. The anesthesiologist was leaving and wouldn’t be
back for 3 hours so they told me I had to decide if I wanted the epidural
before getting my water broken or wait for 3 hours until he comes back.
The epidural didn’t hurt at all. I felt a little prick from
the local numbing shot but that was it. I didn’t really feel my water being
broke, except the gush of warm water running down my leg. After that everything
felt great! I was pretty sure that I was going to have the easiest labor ever.
I was dilating a centimeter an hour, which is average. My mom and Karla came
and were waiting in the lobby so we invited them in our room and watched movies
/ hung out. I took a nap and just relaxed. My mom had everyone guess what time
Haleigh would come, how much she would weigh and her length. Gus guessed 3:30
PM haha… Everyone was pretty off. They all thought I would only be in labor for
a few hours. My nurse Paula’s guess was 12:30 AM, 5.15 oz, and 17.5 inches
long. My guess was 9:45 PM 5.10 oz, 17.5 inches long. After Paula’s guess
everyone wanted a re-guess. Lol.
Around 6 PM Adam went with his parents and my mom to the
cafeteria to eat. I was taking a nap and the nurse, Heather, came to check on
me. We had finally finished my penicillin, which I was grateful for. She turned
the Pitocin up, like she’d been doing every 30 min. I told her that I felt numb
from the neck down and asked if that’s normal. She said I shouldn’t be numb
past my stomach. The anesthesiologist turned off my epidural and said we can
turn it back on in a few hours after it’s had time to die down a little so that
I can start to feel my arms and chest again.
Around 12:30 AM Dr. Parker said that I was ready to start
pushing. Instant relief came over me since I had been at this for a little over
11.5 hours and I was starting to feel a lot of pressure and pain. The
anesthesiologist came and turned my epidural back on around 12 AM but only
turned it to half a dosage to avoid numbing my entire body again. I kept
telling Heater that my tailbone really hurt. She said pressure is normal but
pain is not but the epidural will kick back in soon and I shouldn’t be able to
feel very much again. My tailbone still killed after the epidural was turned on
so the anesthesiologist came back and turned it to a full dosage, but I was
still in so much pain. Adam had to push on it until I was able to start
pushing. Putting pressure directly on my tailbone helped to relieve the pain a
little.
It was now time to push. Heather told me that she and Adam
would each hold one of my legs, I need to keep my chin to my chest take a deep
breath and hold it then push for 10 seconds. We will do this 3 times in a row
then give you a break. “Wait, I don’t have stirrups? Isn’t Dr. Parker supposed
to be here for this?” “No, Dr. Parker will come in a little bit, and you’ll
have stirrups then but for now we’re going to do this.” Naively I thought I
would only push for 10 minutes and not even be able to feel anything like some
of my friends did. I started pushing and could feel so much pressure. I could
feel her head descending through the birthing canal and my body trying to
expand to fit her through. I don’t know if everyone was just really nice or if
it’s true, but they all told me I’m a good pusher and that I was doing really
well. Heather kept cheerfully counting “10, 9, 8…. You’re doing so well…. 5, 4,
3, almost there…” They brought a mirror in so that I could see my progress from
pushing, all of my friends recommended this because they couldn’t even feel the
pushing part, but it was actually more discouraging for me because I could feel
very well where she was and looking in the mirror only to see a quarter size
amount of her head that never seemed to enlarge was frustrating. I felt like I
was pushing in vain but everyone kept telling me that I was doing so well and I
was a great pusher.
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